Even though cancer remains a leading cause of death in America, it may take up to 12 years to introduce a new agent to fight cancer before the FDA and the success of the approval of only five to 10 percent. This means that the number of research hours and dollars wasted chasing avenues that do not bear fruit.
National Cancer Institute Translational Research Working Group (TRWG) developed a set of tools that it believes will improve the process. Tools, known as.
"Pathways to Clinical Goals" presented in the September 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
"NCI supports a number of excellent translational research, but inefficiencies associated with lack of communication and coordination of efforts to prevent a number of promising leads to reach clinical trials and final approval," said Lynn Matrisian, Ph.D., Special Assistant to the Managing Director of the NCI. Matrisian co TRWG, which was formed in 2005 to accelerate the pace of translational cancer research. Publication of Pathways is expected to be a significant step forward in this process.
There are six ways, address the following categories: anti-cancer agents (drugs or biologics), biospecimen methods based on the assessment, immunomodulators, image-based environment assessment, intervention devices, and lifestyle changes.
Each path is a circuit with a series of steps to clarify and streamline the process of translational research. For example, in the way an agent to fight cancer, the researchers recommend that, first of all, consider the following three questions:There is an empirical basis for assigning clinical potential (alone and / or in combination) convincing?Lee provided the clinical need justify expenditure of funds?Is it feasible to identify / develop an agent against this target?
If the answer to any of these questions is "no," then research leaders are invited to send their research toward more effective plans.
Matrisian and her colleagues hope that TRWG path will be widely used and that they will do early translational research process more efficient.
"NCI funds a number of important research projects, and we hope that these ways will help in placing each research opportunity in the broader context of tangible cancer detection, diagnosis, prevention and treatment strategies. We believe with the experience of NCI" is an important resource for other groups to promote translational research as well, "said Matrisian.